Customs Launches Special Operations Against Vegetable Oil Smuggling

By Adebola Isimijola, Lagos

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has announced plans to launch intelligence-driven special operations against vegetable oil smuggling as part of efforts to protect local investments, preserve jobs and strengthen Nigeria’s agricultural value chain.

The Comptroller-General of Customs (CGC), Adewale Adeniyi, disclosed this during a meeting with stakeholders in the vegetable oil industry at the Service Headquarters in Maitama, Abuja.

Adeniyi said the Service remained committed to combating smuggling through strategic enforcement, intelligence gathering and stronger collaboration with stakeholders, noting that Customs and operators in the vegetable oil sector share a common objective of protecting legitimate businesses, encouraging investment and supporting economic growth.

According to him, addressing smuggling requires sustained cooperation between government agencies and the private sector, particularly in sectors that contribute significantly to employment generation and national development.

“Fighting smuggling is a continuous process that requires intelligence, policy support and collaboration. We value constructive engagement with stakeholders and will continue to strengthen our partnership with the private sector,” Adeniyi said.

He called on stakeholders to support enforcement efforts by providing credible intelligence on smuggling routes and other illicit trade activities.

Also speaking, the Deputy Comptroller-General in charge of Enforcement, Inspection and Investigation, Timi Bomodi, highlighted the Service’s successes in curbing the illegal importation of vegetable oil products.

Bomodi disclosed that Customs recorded 65 seizures of vegetable oil products in 2025 and another 23 seizures in 2026, with a combined Duty Paid Value (DPV) of approximately N1.314 billion.

“We recorded about 65 seizures of vegetable oil products in 2025 and another 23 seizures in 2026, with a combined Duty Paid Value of approximately N1.314 billion,” he said.

He noted that many of the seizures were made along major smuggling corridors, including Seme and Idiroko border routes, adding that surveillance would be intensified in other identified vulnerable locations.

Leading the industry delegation, Founder of the Plantation Owners Forum of Nigeria, Dr Fatai Afolabi, commended the Customs Service for creating a platform for engagement and dialogue with industry operators.

Afolabi, however, stressed the need for sustained action against vegetable oil smuggling, warning that the illicit trade was undermining local production, discouraging investment and threatening thousands of jobs across the value chain.

“Smuggling of vegetable oil is undermining local production, discouraging investment and threatening thousands of jobs across the value chain,” he said.

The meeting underscored ongoing efforts by the Nigeria Customs Service and industry stakeholders to strengthen collaboration in tackling smuggling and promoting the growth of Nigeria’s vegetable oil industry.